


The One with the Lobsters

by Segskog (Missesbean)



Category: Men's Hockey RPF, Real Person Fiction, Sports RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Original Character(s), Smut, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 14:00:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21037367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missesbean/pseuds/Segskog
Summary: Tyson and OC are ridiculous. But they're Lobsters.  Teammates and Better Halves to the Rescue





	The One with the Lobsters

**Author's Note:**

> To K, who has waited forever on me for this. Thank you for your donation in the Hockey Trumps Hate Event to the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. You can find us over here: https://hockeynetwork.tumblr.com/ Thank you to E, D, T, and R whom all were so much help in my beta’ing process. Thank you to my scooter gang, skrrt skrrt, y’all always give me encouragement. && Thanks to Syd for all of the encouragement for the past like, five months on this! And before that, too. 
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy “The One with the Lobster.”

“Babe, I’m serious, I need your answer…” Tyson looked up at you with those gentle brown eyes, the eyes that saw the true you. Those  _ eyes _ . It was amazing to think about how many times you had gazed into those brown eyes and seen nothing but your future together. Now, though? You didn’t know what you saw, but you wanted to see that same future together. It just felt so far off. 

You glanced at Tyson, noting how his Adam's apple bobbed as he took a breath and swallowed; those same, kind, compassionate, loving, knowing eyes sweeping over your face. Those eyes were calculating and tracking your every moment and movement, making as much of an understanding as they could of what your answer was going to be. You didn’t want to make those brown eyes any sadder than they already were. You took a deep breath, looking at Tyson with a soft glance. You noted how his face fell for only a millisecond before he shook his head. 

“It’s okay. Either way, it’s - it’ll - we can - it’ll be okay, babe.” 

He was trying to reassure himself more than he was you; you could tell by the way he was working at the smile on his face, the way he was trying to keep his breathing even, and the way he was not shifting at all. A still Tyson was a worked up Tyson; he was trying to compose himself, which was not his normal. Tyson was bold choices and excitement. He wasn’t Mr. Composure. But, yet, here he was. 

You took a deep breath, “Tyson.” 

You were ready to give him the answer, but he put a hand up and stopped you, shaking his head. Your eyes fluttered over his body, taking in his posture. He was leaning against his counter, no,  _ your _ counter in the kitchen of your Denver home. He was braced on strong arms, the cord of muscles rippling as he clenched the edge with a white knuckle grip. You looked around the house, disappointment and sadness fluttering through your body as you tried to wait as he wanted you to do. You found yourself getting lost in a daydream, almost like a movie reel playing through all of your life thus far with Tyson. 

* * *

  
  
  
  


There were days that work was a lot, and more than you wanted to deal with, okay, so it wasn’t the job that was the stress, it was the people who came to your job. You worked in a high-end salon on the 16th Street Mall. Generally, the tourists and shoppers who came in were easy to deal with, it was the locals, who felt a sense of entitlement, that you found hard to deal with. And the frat boys that came in? Well, you just had a hard time handling them. You glanced down at your book of appointments and grunted when you saw it appeared to be what you would refer to as a flock of fuckbois. Casually running your hand down the book, you read the names under your breath, “ _ Jamie, Tyler, Tyson, Nathan.”  _ Great, just great. Absolutely going to be a hell of a day. Well, morning. 

With a glance at the door, you took a sip from your chai latte and moved to the mirror to adjust a piece of hair that wasn’t sitting how you wanted. If you were going to have to put up with a load of testosterone, you may as well look good while you did it. Grabbing your iron, you worked a curl into the right shape and applied a bit more hairspray before Letty, your work bestie, was alerting you that your group of four had arrived. It was always when the group of guys wanted to stay together that things went weird - which was the first sign, when the guy who called indicated he wanted the four with the same stylist and together, that something was going to be weird. 

With thanks to Letty, you moved towards the front of the salon, to notice what appeared like a collection of male models in the front on the leather couches. Of course. As if you weren’t self-conscious enough, you now had all of these beautiful men that were going to stare at you in the mirror. Hopefully, they would all be stuck on themselves and you wouldn’t have to talk too much. 

“Hey guys,” you cleared your throat softly, noting how the three brunettes looked at you intently, while the blonde continued to ramble about a statistic of some sort that you weren’t picking up on. It wasn’t until you locked eyes with the blonde that realization settled into your stomach. You knew exactly who he was. And the others? Looked like major fuckbois too. 

Those eyes of theirs, three pairs of brown and one pair of blue, stared at you intently. “Hey, I’m Jamie, I’ll be doing y’alls cuts, why don’t you come on back.” You smiled and introduced yourself before you turned and nodded towards your station and the empty one beside it. There were a few chairs and they seemed to just assimilate in the direction you nodded, plopping down, the blonde sitting in your chair first. Of course, they giggled about the fact that you were Jamie and they had a Jamie; it was really just annoying, but you smiled and giggled with them because that was the thing to do. 

“Okay, so what are you wanting?” You asked with a smile as you caped him before nodding towards the shampoo bowl, motioning for him to follow you, watching as Letty offered all the other guys drinks. 

The blonde mentioned what he was in search of and quietly plopped down at the shampoo bowl, not saying anything else. He wasn’t rude, really, just seemed unsure. Thank god. You couldn’t just talk to Nathan MacKinnon today, it wasn’t in the cards. Maybe tomorrow. Ha! 

As you shampooed, you were quiet, letting him enjoy the mint scalp scrub as you worked, glancing up at the other three now and then, realizing the curly-haired man was going to be your challenge of the day. He was a bundle of giggles, as was the cow-eyed looking man, whom you couldn’t quite put your finger on. It was the brunette with the upturned nose that seemed the most Fuckboi now that you had them in your area. Which, whatever. Without another thought, you ushered Nathan, who finally had said his name was Nate when you called him Sir, back to your chair. 

Curly - or Tyson, as they were calling him - had to hop out of your chair, offering a coy smile as he slid into the other chair beside yours, all but bouncing with energy. You reached for your comb and shears and set on giving Nate a haircut, taking in all of the chatter around you as the boys talked about hockey, and Texas, and dogs, and what was for lunch: Chipotle or Tyson’s kitchen. They all seemed to be putting a lot of thought into this, you noticed, as they went about their talking, you just a fly on the wall of their conversations. It was like they had forgotten you were even there until you were grabbing the blow dryer to blow the wispy hairpieces off Nate’s neck. Tyson’s eyes had been on you quite a bit, and it had made your level of self-consciousness escalate. Was he judging you? You knew you weren’t a size five, but dammit, did people really have to stare? 

It wasn’t until Upturned Nose, er, Tyler, slid into your chair for a cape that you snapped out of it. He’d asked you a question and was looking at you in the mirror with a lazy smile. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, what?” 

He chuckled, “I just asked for a beard trim, too, if that’s okay.” 

You nodded and gestured for him to go the shampoo bowl, returning to your routine, but not missing the feeling of Tyson’s eyes on you as you walked away. Or the way he grunted when what you assumed was an elbow, was knocked against his side. This routine resumed with Tyler, and then Male!Jamie, Tyson saved for last. 

As you glanced down at Tyson in the shampoo bowl you smiled softly and reached over to grab the wax stick (he wanted his nostrils done, because of course, he did). You intended to wax first, and went about applying the powder and stick. “Have you had your nostrils done before?” 

“No,” he added with a shrug, “It shouldn’t be too bad, right?” 

Your eyes widened, a shake of your head as you offered to count first. 

“Pft, it’ll be fine, right? Just go for it.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“Uh, okay, on three then,” you spoke softly, “One, two...” On three you pulled, and Tyson let out a hiss of a screech, his hands flying up to his nostrils. 

“Alright, bud?” You asked with a small smile, as you dipped the new applicators for the second round. 

“Uh-huh.” His eyes were watering, and he was trying so hard to be tough. 

“Almost done,” you offered with a smile, applying the second round of wax when he moved his hands. 

He clenched his eyes shut as you started to count again. This time, when you went to pull, he jerked up, his face landing smack dab into your breasts as you pulled back the sticks. His eyes widened as he let out a hiss and a groan as he looked up at you, pulling his face back as quickly as he could. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” was all he had to say as he widened his eyes in your direction. 

You had let out a soft shriek, not sure of what to do, and held the sticks with widened eyes in horror. “I, you, oh wow.” It was all you could say at the moment. 

“I’m so sorry,” he repeated multiple times, his eyes widening as he watched you with intent eyes. “I, sometimes my body, it…” 

You shook your head, trying to get him to just hush. “It’s okay, just lean back and I’ll shampoo your hair.…” you offered with a small smile, face red, mind reeling. 

He nodded and leaned back into the shampoo chair, his face bright red, eyes shut as you could tell he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do with himself at that moment. 

“Seriously, Tyson, it’s okay,” you offered with an awkward smile. You could see this discomfort on his face. 

He just nodded and squeezed his eyes shut tighter, obviously in discomfort with the whole situation. You were totally feeling how his face looked, but it wasn’t like you could actually say anything to him at that moment about how absolutely uncomfortable you were, either. Besides, this wasn't the first time you’d had someone accidentally touch your boob. You tended to struggle with that from time to time due to the profession you were in and the body language that happened in that situation. 

In an attempt to not make anything else uncomfortable, you turned on the water in the sink and gestured for him to wiggle back a little, commenting softly he was good, when he got slid back. You turned on the water and tested the temperature before rinsing over his head gently. You went through the process: wet, lather with the scalp treatment, and pull through the ends, working your fingers over his scalp when he let out a little noise, similar to that of a cat stretching up like an accordion after a long winter’s afternoon nap, followed by a low groan. 

You were caught off guard, as was he, evidenced by the wide-eyed expression, as you continued to work over his scalp. He’d been so quiet, that it had shocked you out of the reverie of thoughts. He, however, appeared to be quite uncomfortable. 

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry, I just keep making this worse,” he let out a howl of disappointment. 

“Shush, it’s just fine, just relax,” you tried to reassure him, not wanting this to become even weirder than it already was. 

He took that as a sign to just shut up and leaned back into the shampoo bowl while you resumed your massaging, working your fingers through his hair and tugging gently on the curls. With a soft sigh, you flipped the water back on and began to rinse before applying shampoo and resuming the scrub motion on his scalp, eliciting yet another moan from him. You bit your lip, amazed at how… sexual and lovely he sounded. Mentally slapping yourself, you tried to get your composure back and resumed the shampoo and conditioning, maybe speeding through a bit more than normal, before you had him up and over to your chair. 

Tyson walked almost with the same composure as people who made their morning walk of shame, his head down as he glanced around and slid down into your chair. Jamie, Nate, and Tyler were all watching him with smirks, not having missed his little episode. 

“Good there, Brutes?” Nate asked with a knowing smirk. 

Tyson grunted, face reddening more (you couldn’t believe that was possible!) as he flipped them the bird. 

Biting your lip you grabbed your shears, and continued on with his cut, trying to make as little talk as possible at this point. The guys were really razzing on him, and it felt uncomfortable for you, so you couldn’t imagine how it felt for him. 

As you finished up his haircut, you turned him in the chair towards you and got out your dryer to style, noting the way he looked everywhere but at you, and it made you feel almost uncomfortable and sad, which was not okay. But, you assumed it was just because you knew who he was. After finishing, you worked your hands through the product and into his hair, taking your time to style his hair just the way you wanted, before you turned him back around to face himself in the chair. “Okay?” 

He nodded and popped the cape off his neck for you, sliding out of the chair before you could even say anything or hand him the hand mirror. “Hey Nate, I gotta go make a phone call, you got this?” He asked, voice high, face red. 

Nate looked confused, “Dude, quit being so weird. But yea, I got this.” 

Tyson was out the door in that moment before you had even put the shears back. It was as if he couldn’t get away from you fast enough, and that hit you harder in the gut than you could have ever imagined. 

As you walked the trio up to pay, you thanked them all, checking them out. With the credit card receipts signed, you went to check your totals and add up your book, when you saw a note scrawled in sloppy print on Jamie’s receipt, along with an excessive tip. 

“Sorry Tyson’s so damn weird. He totally was star eyes.” Beside it, was a smiley face with a tongue. The guy was a weirdo. The whole group of them was weird. Except for Tyler. And he just seemed like an arrogant jerk. But that was beside the point. 

With a sigh, you plopped down in your own chair and pulled your phone out of your drawer, so overwhelmed with the weirdness. If you never saw any of them again, it wouldn’t be soon enough. 

  
  


++++++ 

Of course, luck apparently had never been on your side. You’d gone out with some of your friends to one of your favorite sports bars, with the plan of getting a few drinks, some snacks, and just enjoy the night. You were recounting your afternoon’s adventure - not having indicated just exactly who had been the awkward hilarity of your day, just what - when you glanced up towards the bar, where a bunch of women were hooting, hollering and causing a scene. 

It was when you glanced upon a familiar blonde and brunette, flanked by a bunch of blonde beefy men, that you felt that flip in the pit of your stomach. Your friends all glanced at you, noting a look of disgust on your face. 

“Girl, what’s wrong?” Your friend, B, asked with a chuckle. 

“That’s...him,” you gestured with a sigh. 

B’s face flushed and she nodded, “They’re all super hot...and I mean, I think you may know who they are.” 

You nodded, shrugging, “I do… but it still was annoying.” 

As if the heavens wanted to make your day even worse, Nate nudged Tyson and nodded in your direction, the other guys picking up on Tyson’s look of embarrassment as his eyes locked on yours. Of course. 

++++++

EJ slid an arm around Tyson’s neck, “Whatcha staring at, Brutes?” 

“Ugh, nothing,” was his response, but Nate was quick to respond, launching into the story of how much of an ass Tyson had made of himself in the hair salon. 

“Tyson all but groped the poor girl and made the most hilarious noises while he was getting his head rubbed . .. also he got his nostrils waxed, and cried like a  _ baby,” _ Nate was laughing to the point of tears in his eyes, while the poor curly-haired man’s cheeks reddened. 

Gabe was watching with an evil grin because of course, he had a plan to make Tyson’s life hell now. 

“Sounds to me like Tys is kind of smitten, eh?” Gabe asked with a smirk, winking as he looked at Tyson then towards the girl. She was cute, Gabe would give him that. 

“Oh you know it,” Nate added with a smirk. “Plus, did I mention his face was what went into her boobs? Because, well… “ 

Tyson growled at them both, “Ridiculous! Stop it! It wasn’t that bad!” 

Nate laughed, “It was so bad… Jamie left a $200 tip because he felt horrible for the amount of chaos you created.” 

Tyson’s cheeks flushed even brighter at this, “What?!” 

“Oh yeah…” 

At this point, Nate, EJ, and Gabe were rolling with tears, and there was nothing Tyson was going to be able to say to stop them from their next moves. 

++++++ 

You were sitting at the table, telling the specific details of the horrific afternoon, when a waiter came over with a tray of shots. 

B was quick to inform the waiter you hadn’t actually ordered those when the waiter flashed a brilliant smile and nodded in the direction of the chaos trio of Nate, Gabe, and EJ. Tyson was sitting behind them at the bar, his head down, because of course, he was. 

“We don’t want them,” you offered with a smile. “Could you just take them back to the guys?” 

“But . ..” the waiter went on. 

“No buts… please,” you were pleading. You didn’t want this case of embarrassment to go on at all. You were not to be the butt of their joke. 

“No, no, no,” B answered quickly. “What are those called?” 

The waiter laughed and spoke, “Wet Dreams.”

“Great, why don’t you just send them a round of Dirty Girl Scouts?” B added with a raised brow.    


You grunted, “No! This is a horrible idea.” 

“Maybe, but at least it’ll be worth seeing their faces . ..” B added with a chuckle. 

“I guess,” you sighed, taking the shot offered, “but, not Dirty Girl Scouts. Send them Broken Down Golf Carts. I think Toothless should like that.” 

“Bottoms up,” B offered, and you all downed your drinks, the guys grinning as they watched. 

It wasn’t too long, though, before the waiter was handing their drinks to them; their faces were priceless when he told them what they were. 

Gabe lifted his towards your table in a cheers sort of way, the rest of the guys followed suit, except Tyson, who looked like he had downed one too many tequila shots. 

You were hopeful it was all over now. But of course, luck wouldn’t have it that way, and the group of four made their way to your table, though Tyson was more or less being dragged by Erik and Nate. 

As the leader, Gabe had taken it upon himself to present with his golden-boy charm and made introductions to you and your group. 

“You must be Jamie…I heard you give a  _ great _ scalp massage and an even better hair cut,” Gabe spoke first, offering out his hand.

Tyson was mouthing a drunken apology behind them, as Erik offered out his hand as well. “I’ve heard the nose wax is incredible, Erik.” 

You rolled your eyes, annoyed now at their need of being joking. “Great, thanks for the drink, now if you guys don’t mind...we’re trying to enjoy our night. Not really one for being mocked.” Your tone took on a hint of annoyance. 

“Woah, Woah, Woah,” Erik spoke. “No offense meant, seriously. We just have to give Tyson some hell...because obviously he was smitten with you. And for a good reason...it’s not often he gets to be around beautiful women. He’s usually stuck with our ugly mugs.” 

You rolled your eyes again, very much annoyed with them at this point. “Okay, the flattery doesn’t help, so…” 

Nate shook his head, “We’re not flattering you…” 

“They’re right,” Tyson drawled, “You’re beautiful and I would love nothing more than to rub my face in your boobs again.” 

Your eyes widened and you were shocked. Leave it to Tyson. Alcohol = honesty. 

And that was how you met Tyson Barrie. 

######

It had been six months since the bar incident with Tyson, and now you were back at the same bar, in the same booth, with Erik and Tyson flanking you on either side. If they had told you that first night six months ago, that you and Tyson were going to become best friends and essentially attached at the hip? You would have called them damn liars. But, here you were, enjoying Tyson’s firm body beside yours as you leaned slightly into him, sipping your sangria. 

Tyson was giving you shit for your “chick drink” but that was just for appearances. Had it just been the two of you, he would have had the sangria as well and wouldn’t have said a word. But, he tried to put on the dog for EJ and the guys, and you totally didn’t get it. You weren’t supposed to, though. That’s what best friends were for, to not have to explain themselves but be supportive as hell. And that’s what you were: as supportive for Tyson as you could be. 

There were nights when he would call after a rough game and not want to talk, but really just want to share space with you and for you to rub his head, and you would do just that. You would meet him at your front door with a glass of wine in hand, a hot lavender neck wrap and a pair of sweats. He always left a pair at your house for those post-game adventures. 

The guys gave him so much shit for it, telling him he should just date you already, but he always rolled his eyes and would remind them that you were  _ just _ friends. Just like you would with the girls. You would never do anything to put your friendship with Tyson in jeopardy, even if seeing him made your heart flutter and stomach flip. He was your  _ best _ friend and there was nothing you would want to change about that. 

Tonight, the guys had pulled a massive win over the Wild out and you were out celebrating. Even if Tyson had several turnovers, it had worked, which of course, you were roasting him for, and EJ was laughing. 

“I swear, Four, it’s a miracle you don’t get benched on nights like tonight,” you laughed, shaking your head at him. “Those turnovers were sick, and not in the good sick way. I’m talking like, what the hell were you thinking?” You asked with a laugh, leaning into him with a chuckle as he tossed his hands in the air. 

“Hush! Until you’re out there hoping to hell that you don’t get hit in the moneymaker with a puck, I don’t want to hear it!” Tyson shushed you and took a drink from his glass, watching as EJ smirked. 

“She’s right you know, Tys… that one turnover in the third was ridiculous… did you go blind for a second?” He laughed. 

“Not you too!” Tyson rolled his eyes and got up, “I’m going to get another, you guys?” 

You nodded, smiling sweetly, as EJ shook his head, holding up his beer. You watched him go with a sigh, rattled from your thoughts when Gabe slid into the empty spot, locking you between him and Erik. 

“You two dating yet?” Gabe asked with a smirk as he took a long pull from his bottle. 

“Pft, as if, Landy. They’re too busy teasing each other to realize they like each other,” Erik said with a laugh before you could even respond. 

“Whatever, there is  _ nothing _ there. He’s my best friend,” you said with a laugh, taking another drink from the glass. 

“Best friends who have sleepovers and snuggles?” Gabe asked with waggly eyebrows. “You guys are totally Lobsters.” 

“What?!” Your face turned bright red at the realization that Gabe knew about that. 

“Yeah, what?!” EJ asked. 

“Ohh, you didn’t know, EJ?” Gabe asked with a smirk. “Tyson has clothes and a toothbrush at Jamie’s house… for nights when he’s just too tired to go home… nights after games… nights when she’s not at his house.” Gabe laughed, winking good-naturedly. “Lobsters. Friends? Duh.” 

“Excuse me, but that’s a rarity, and besides, it’s not safe for him to drive after he drinks…” you tried to defend yourself. “We are  _ not _ Lobsters.”

“Uh-huh… if he was drinking that much I would be worried, and I know he’s not, so…” Gabe added with a chuckle. “Lobsters.” 

At that moment, Tyson was back with your drinks, squawking at Gabe to move, “Seriously, Landesnerd, move that big head and ass. Lemme in.” 

“Naaah, I think I’ll stay by Jamie… tell her your dirty secrets…”He winked. 

“Or not… You could move and I could talk to my friend whom I haven’t seen in forever thanks to our roadie,” Tyson quipped. 

“Tys, you FaceTime her all the time,” Gabe laughed, “I never get to talk to her.” 

“Yeah, well, you’re not her best friend, so. Move or I’ll sit on your lap, and that would arouse EJ, so…” Tyson crawled over Gabe, wedging his way between you, shoving you up against EJ. 

“You’re not really going to get aroused, right?” You asked Erik with a raised brow. 

“Nah… I prefer Sam or Gabe for my bar night arousal,” he added with a shrug and a snort. 

“Good to know,” you laughed. 

“So, Jamie, you coming to the Halloween party?” Gabe asked with a tip of his head. 

“What party?” 

“Oh, the one where Tyson makes a fool of himself, Erik tries to look cooler than he is, and Nate wears an awful Trailer Park Boys themed costume trying too hard” 

“And you look flawless?” You asked Gabe with a laugh. 

“That’s the one.” 

“I dunno, Tyson mentioned it, but I haven’t gotten my work schedule yet, so…” you shrugged. 

“So request it off!” Gabe added, “Unless you’re embarrassed to be seen with Tyson…” 

You rolled your eyes, glancing in Tyson’s direction, “Nah, I think Tyson’s more embarrassed to be seen with me.” 

Tyson’s cheeks flushed as he shook his head, “Nuh-uh! I would never!” 

“Nuh-uh? Dude,are you five?” Erik asked with a snort. 

“So, I expect a great costume out of the pair of you,” Gabe added before he slid out of the booth and meandered around to find Mel. 

You just rolled your eyes before looking at Tyson, “So, something furry?” 

He groaned, “I’m never going to live the dog down, am I?” 

“I dunno… It was kinda cute,” you laughed, shaking your head. 

“Gross, stop slobbering on each other, you guys,” EJ said with a fake shudder before he got up. “I’m out of here though, y’all be good tonight.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to your cheek before ruffling Tyson’s hair with brotherly love. 

Tyson just nodded and looked around the bar. “So, what’s after this?” 

“Mmmmm I was thinking about ice cream and Netflix?” It was a Saturday, after all. 

“Perfect. My place or yours?” He asked. 

“Yours,  _ definitely _ yours. Your bed is bigger and I can take up more space,” you nodded affirmatively before ordering an Uber on your phone. 

Tyson nodded and put money down on the table for your tip and slid out of the booth, waiting for you to follow. 

Perfect night with the perfect bestie. 

######

Halloween rolled around quicker than expected, and as per usual, Gabe (aka Doug Funnie) was hosting the team Halloween Costume Party. There were, of course, prizes and drinks, and EJ in the weirdest costume of course (who dressed up as a toothbrush anyway, that wasn’t named Jenna Marbles). But after seeing Sam walking around as a container of dental floss neither you nor Tyson had asked any more questions. It made sense. 

When you and Tyson had walked in, everybody had gasped and commented it was Tyson’s first year without either a leash or animal costume. You hated the little cringe on his face, but couldn’t help but chuckle. Tyson made an excellent Happy Tree, and, really, you had the hair for Bob Ross. 

Mel (Patti Mayonnaise) found your costumes to be hilarious and made Gabe come look at Tyson the Happy Tree right away. 

“I mean, I see the appeal, you could climb him like a tree, eh?” Gabe asked with a wink, before pushing drinks into everyone’s hands. “C’mon in before Mel tells me I’m a horrible host again. Also, avoid Z, he’s making “Look at my Trident” jokes.” 

Tyson nodded and led you in towards the food, because, well, that was where he wanted to be. 

“I need a snack,” he offered and headed that way. Of course, Tyson needed a snack; he was the hungriest boy you’d ever met. 

As you stood waiting, you heard the voice of Z and moved away, but not fast enough as he slid in beside you, wrapping an arm around your waist. 

“Hi, Jamie… How are you tonight?” He winked, Aleksandra shaking her head at him. 

“Fine, Z, what are you up to, you big menace?” You asked with a laugh. 

“Oh, you know… Pimping out the bitches and hoes, the norm. Wanna see my Trident? Is much bigger than Tyson’s!” He waggled his eyebrows at you, laughing like a maniac before Tyson gave him a look. 

“Leave her alone, Z… gross. You’re why we can’t have nice things, man. Always being weird,” he said with a laugh before he made shooing hands at Z. 

Z just laughed, “You just jealous, Tyson.” He leaned and put a kiss on top of Tyson’s head. 

“She is sexy Bob Ross, you ugly tree… Sigh, Tyson, we must work on this.” 

You shoved at Z with a laugh, shaking your head, “Leave my happy tree alone. I worked hard on this creation.” 

Again, Z let out a howl of laughter, comparable to that of a hyena, before he tromped off with Aleks, a pair of perfect merpeople. You watched her with longing eyes, sighing when Tyson slid an arm around your waist, tugging you to him gently. “Stop it. You’re beautiful. You know it.” 

“Ugh, don’t get mushy, Tyson,” you rolled your eyes at him. “We don’t do mush, we’re not those friends.” 

He swallowed thickly, nodding before he took a bite of a cracker. “Nope, we sure aren’t.” His eyes fluttered over you, darkening as you walked off towards Mel and a few of the other girls. 

He had it, he had it bad, but you didn’t see it, and you didn’t want to see it. 

###### 

There were nights with Tyson that you didn’t even know what to expect; nothing was out of the ordinary or off the table. Like tonight, you’d complained that you hadn’t gotten laid in about six weeks and needed a wing woman. He’d volunteered to be your wingman and help you pick up tonight, on the condition that neither of you went home alone. However, every time you found someone suitable for him, Tyson would make an “ew” face where he scrunched up his nose and wrinkled his lips. 

Now, you were sitting side by side, your thigh pressed against his, the warmth from his body radiating over to you in the already hot bar. Not more than a few minutes ago, he’d suggested that you just go home together. Make this a “friends with benefits” one kind of night situation. You had known your face had turned a lovely shade of red at the suggestion and were very thankful the bar was dimly lit so he couldn’t see your blush as well. 

Did he know that you’d always wanted to go home with him? And do more than just cuddle? Was he joking? Your mind had been running wild with all of these questions as you sputtered and spouted off about it being a bad idea. You’d mentioned that you guys were the best of friends, and it could really ruin the opportunity. He had just given you a snort and an eye roll. 

Now, you were staring into your empty glass, the ice melting around the thin black straw. You wanted him to take you home, but you were afraid really. What if once wasn’t enough? What if you fell even deeper into the Tyson trap?

He chuckled and set his bottle on the bar behind him, before looking over at you, lips pursed. He licked his lower lip before he leaned in against you, breath against the shell of your ear as he spoke. 

“Jamie, you can keep talking all you want. But,” he paused, leaning out to press the softest of kisses to the soft skin beneath your ear, a chill covering your body as he spoke again. “You can’t deny, you want me just as much as I want you.” 

The words send a chill straight down your spine as you sat up taller on the stool, looking over at Tyson with dark, widened eyes. He  _ knew _ . You opened your mouth to speak, but were stopped when Tyson gently placed his fingertip on your lip. “Tell me no, and I’ll leave it alone…I won’t mention it ever again.” He spoke softly, watching you with intent eyes. 

“Tyson,” the word fell out of your lips as he watched you, his eyes drifting to your lips softly as he licked his own, before glancing back up to you. Your eyes fluttered shut as you shut your mouth, taking a deep breath, relaxing slowly. 

“Take me home,” you spoke softly, looking over with your lip held between your bottom teeth. You may regret it, or you may not. But tonight, you were going to live. Dammit if Mel wouldn’t have been proud of you. 

The ride home was absolutely painfully slow. At least, that was how it felt as Tyson tried to keep his concentration on the road, a hand on your thigh, and a soft cough from his throat now and then as you wound downtown and into his neighborhood. More than anything, you were thankful that Nate had found his own ride home tonight and you and Tys didn’t have to take him home. Any other time, you were more than happy to take the third musketeer home after a few too many drinks, but not tonight. Tonight was about you and Tyson. You were going to let your body (and heart, really) trump decisions and desires. Tonight was about breaking the ‘dry spell’ so to speak, and about enjoying Tyson and those perfect hands for one night, and one night only.

At least, that’s what you kept telling yourself most of the ride home. Enjoy it, it was your one shot with Tyson Barrie. After tonight, things would have to go back to normal. He was your best friend, You couldn’t let that go. No matter how good it may be tonight, you had to go back to normal. Still, the hesitation fell into the pit of your stomach as he pulled into the familiar driveway and garage of his home. His hand squeezed at your thigh gently, a finger dipping to tease at your inner thigh as he said your name, for what was apparently a second time.

Looking up with bright eyes, you smiled and tried to push all hesitation aside. You’d told him to take you home. He had done that. And now, now you were going to get your one night with Tyson. It was as if he could sense your concern, though, and his brow furrowed as he looked over at you. 

“Jamie,” he trailed off, raising a hand to your arm. “You can still say no… like, I already told you, I won’t force anything. Ever. I love our friendship way too much to mess anything up here… So you can still say no. I promise, it’s okay.” 

He watched you with a concerned face, and you felt your pulse quicken when he said that one little word.

You knew he loved you, just like you loved him. You were best friends. It was  _ friend _ love. That was all that was. So why was your stomach flipping in knots as you looked at him, your bottom lip held between your teeth?

He reached over gently and thumbed over your lip, ensuring that you released your lip from the vice grip of your teeth. “You’re going to make yourself bleed,” he spoke softly, watching you, body turned towards you as he sat quietly, the car still on. You had your out, right now. He was giving you the opportunity to tell him that it wasn’t okay.

You opened your mouth to speak, to thank him for being so considerate, but you realized how stupid that sounded before you got it out of your mouth, and you were thankful that you stopped. Smiling instead, you took in Tyson’s face. He was watching you with intent eyes, concentrating on how you were reacting, how your face was changing, and you felt your stomach flip just a little bit more. Instead of saying thank you or something equally as lame, you smiled and leaned over, resting your hand on his chest, as you nuzzled your nose against his, before leaning in closer, to place a soft kiss to his lips, taking your time to savor his taste. He met your lips with his own, kissing you gently, as his hand fell to your cheek, gently cupping your face in his calloused hand as he rubbed the pad of his thumb over your cheekbone, lips pressed against yours. You nipped gently at his bottom lip before pulling back, resting your forehead against his. A giggle fell from your lips as he wrinkled his nose up at you and nuzzled against you for a moment. 

“I take that as we should go inside…” he offered with a smile.

You could have said yes, but instead, you chuckled and spouted off.

“You taste like beer and candy…” After the words fell from your mouth, you watched as Tyson’s face contorted into what looked like shock, and a soft laugh. Smiling, you leaned back into him, pressing another soft kiss to his face, enjoying the way he held your face gently, cupping your cheek as he took his time, thoroughly kissing you. It was as if a shiver went straight to your cunt as he pressed his tongue to yours, eyes shutting and a soft moan falling from you as he did so.

Tyson smiled into the kiss, thumb rubbing on your cheekbone as he slowly pulled himself back, watching as your chest heaved, eyes heavy with lust. 

“Yeah, I think we should go inside …” you spoke with a soft hum, watching as he shut off the car and got out, coming round to your side to shut the door after you.

More than anything, you wanted to feel him against you again. You wanted to have his strong hands against your soft cheeks, fingers teasing your supple hips, have his mouth against yours, and his eyes on you. Never had you wanted someone to kiss you so badly. Tyson seemed to be into teasing, though, as he took your hand and led you into the kitchen through the back door, depositing his keys and his jacket. He dropped your hand gently and took his time moving around and securing the home alarm system, turning off lights and really any and everything he could to make this process longer and slower.

Sighing, you leaned against the wall by the stairs, having followed him quietly. He finished his round and wound up beside you, smiling as he leaned against the wall with you. 

“So…come here often?” He asked with a cheeky grin, watching you as your eyes rolled at his ‘humor’ he tried to use.

“Oh, you know… just in my spare time. Though usually, I hang out with this really dorky guy who likes to just sit in bed and eat ice cream and watch trash tv…” you winked at him, noting his little scowl and look of disdain.

“Rude… he sounds like a great guy and a great time,” Tyson quipped, crowding you up against the wall, a hand braced on either side of your body, hips slotting against yours.

You let out a little gasp, feeling his arousal against your thigh as he leaned down, covering your lips with his as he ran his hand down your side, resting on the top of your hips. Your hands moved to his neck, clasping behind his head as you pulled him closer against you, lips matching his with intensity in his kiss.

“Tys,” you let out a soft whimper against his lips. His knee had slotted between your legs, thigh coming up to press against the apex of your legs, watching the soft shudder run through your body. Automatically, you ground against his thigh, panting softly into his neck, where you nuzzled your nose softly. You wanted more, so much more. Any worries you had at that moment seemed to go out the window.

He grunted his response, pulling back softly as he dropped to his knees in front of you, pushing your dress up at that moment. You gasped quietly, watching him as he raked his eyes over you intently, taking in every inch of skin revealed in that moment, down to the little scrap of lace you called underwear. You started to feel apprehensive. You weren’t small by any means, you had some fluff, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

“Fuck,” he leaned in and pressed a kiss to your hips, a hand trailing to tease your slit through the damp lace. “You really do want this as much as I do,” he spoke slow, voice low, thick with lust.

You honestly hadn’t expected Tyson to be on his knees. If anything, you expected you’d be the one on your knees, before he took you to bed and fucked you. But this? This was nothing like had been expected, and you were thankful there was a wall behind you.

His breath ghosted over the damp patch of fabric before he leaned in and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to your mound before he nudged your legs apart, ripping at the fabric with little regard for ensuring it stayed intact.

“Tyson! Those were expensive!” you gasped out, flicking his nose with a huff.

“I’ll buy you new ones,” he spoke softly, nudging your legs open as he leaned in to trace your slit with his tongue, eliciting a moan to fall from your throat in the meantime. He reached up and pulled your legs apart, resting your leg over his shoulder as he leaned in to press another open mouth kiss down your wetness, grunting as he did so.

Your head fell back against the wall as his tongue found your clit, flicking gently before he leaned in, effectively fucking you with his tongue. Your head fell back against the wall with a loud moan as he did so, eyes fluttering shut. Tys wasted no time in curling a finger into your core, pumping slowly as his eyes watched you intently.

Always vocal, you let out another moan, lip bit between your teeth as you tried to quiet down. You didn’t want to seem ridiculous, but dammit he was sending you into a fit of pleasure, and quickly too. Maybe it was the lack of action you’d been getting or the fact that he was drawing his finger in that perfect ‘come hither’ motion, but you were close. So close that you didn’t want to let it end. Your hands fell to his hair, threading through the curls on the back of his head, tugging gently.

It was like he knew, and pulled back with glistening lips. “Let go, babe, don’t keep it in… be loud.”

He hummed and moved back, sucking and nipping as he watched your chest heave. You’d taken his words to heart, moaning and whimpering as he pumped his fingers into your core, rubbing in the best way as he alternated between nipping and sucking at your clit. Before you could warn him, you felt the swell of pleasure in the pit of your belly, the crash of the peak, and the pleasure that filled you as your release fell.

Tyson worked you through the peak, holding you carefully with a hand against your hips to support you. With glistening lips, he pulled back and stood carefully, kissing you intently, arms around your waist as he held you to him. You were thankful, afraid you would fall if he didn’t support you. 

Panting, you leaned back against the wall, eyes shut, chest heaving as you tried to catch your breath. You slowly stretched your leg out and pulled him closer with your hand, pulling him back in for another kiss, nipping at his bottom lip. Smiling, he wordlessly scooped his hands under your ass, pulling you up against him as he effortlessly carried you to his bedroom. 

“Tys. .. don’t,” you started, but he shushed you. 

Your hands found his hair again, tugging gently, lips on his neck, teasing gently over the skin. He gently placed you onto the bed, pulling his shirt off and over his head, in that way guys do, tossing it onto the floor. Your eyes traveled over his skin, taking in his body. You wanted to touch him everywhere, feel his warm skin beneath your fingers, feel the muscles under your skin.

Tys watched you closely, pushing at his jeans and boxers. You sat up slowly, pulling your dress off the rest of the way, to toss it with Tys’ shirt. You were working on your bra when Tyson replaced your hands with his, getting the clasp undone and your bra to the floor.

“Fuck, babe,” he held you at an arm’s length, looking over your body and licking his lips. “You’ve been hiding perfect tits from me . .. I should have known they’d look as good as they felt.” 

Chuckling, you shook your head. “That why they call you TBoobs?” 

He winked and leaned in to kiss you, pressing you back into the pillows, a hand falling to your breast, massing the tender flesh as he rolled your nipple between his fingers.

Moaning, you ran your hands over his body, finally. Your fingertips ghosted over his pecs and abs, towards his hips, before you took all of him in. 

“Damn, Tys,” you licked your lips, looking at his cock. He was much better endowed than you had expected. Not super thick, but long and lean. 

He lifted a brow, settling back for you to examine him. He was proud as a peacock as he watched you. “Like what you see?” He smirked, modeling himself, a hand dropping to stroke his cock as he watched you. 

You nodded and crawled up, pushing him back onto his back with an oof. With a needy kiss, you moved over him, kissing over his collarbone, chest, and abs, working your way down slowly. Tys leaned up on his elbows, watching you intently. He spoke softly with a growl as you placed a kiss over his pubic bone. 

“Babe, as much as I want to get those lips on my dick, I won’t make it.” He spoke with a grunt, watching as you leaned down and teased the head of his cock with your tongue, a growl falling from his chest as he watched you. 

“Just a taste?” You asked with a smirk, eyebrow arched as you watched his body flush.

Wordlessly, you dipped your head back down, hair tickling his stomach as you took the head of his cock into your mouth gently, teasing him like a lollipop. Your hand dropped to the base of his length, squeezing gently as he grunted, hips rolling up. 

“Fuck.” He swore, falling back with a grunt.

Smiling, you sucked on the head for a few short seconds, before pulling off with a pop. Crawling up Tyson, you perched atop his hips, watching him as he panted. He reached up and tweaked your nipple, watching you. 

“Condoms in the drawer lemme just,” he reached over, your hand dropping to his. 

“I’m on the pill…clean…” you were giving him permission right now, and he was going to take it. “So, unless you want a condom or like, aren’t clean …then.”

He chortled and shook his head. “I’m good.” He rolled his hips gently, cock brushing your ass as you ground back against him. He smirked, watching as you moved back and positioned yourself over him. Directing him, you slowly sank down onto his length, moaning as you did so, body accommodating to him. Tyson let out a hiss, his hands dropping to your hips. 

“Shit, babe, so tight,” he hissed, rolling his hips up as you started to rotate your hips as well, moving up his length before rocking back down. You reached for the headboard, bracing yourself as you started to ride, body clenching around him with each stroke as you let out a soft whimper and growl. 

“Fuck,” you hissed, whimpering as he drilled up into your body. Tyson’s face was flushed as he held your hips down, rocking harder into you as you let out a howl of pleasure when he manhandled and flipped you so he was on top.

“Leg up,” he ordered, moving over you as he pulled your leg up and over his shoulder, sinking deeper into your core. Your eyes rolled shut as you arched up to meet his thrusts, moaning in pleasure with the snap of his hips against yours.

He leaned down and took your nipple into his mouth, sucking intently as he fucked you. Your hands threaded through his hair, tugging, urging him on. “Fuck me, Tyson! Harder!” You moaned, body arching up to meet his, whimpers of pleasure falling from your lips. “Fill my pussy,” you moaned, surprising him with your dirty talk. He let out a groan at your words, loving this new side of you; he’d never expected this, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t turned on.

“You like that?” he growled against your throat, sucking on the skin there as he snapped his hips harder against your body.

“Uh-huh!” You whined, moving closer to your climax. You dropped a hand to rub at your clit, knowing it wouldn’t take much to push you over the line.

“You gonna cum for me, baby?” he asked with a hiss, nipping at your collarbone.

“Yeah,” you whimpered, hands dropped to his back, nails clawing over his skin in that moment. He grunted, warning you he was close, moving his hand to rub at your clit. You felt the peak rise again, the warmth spreading through your belly, and a long, loud cry fell from your lips as you came. Tyson wasn’t far behind you, grunting as he felt his own release, pulsing within you as he leaned down to kiss you hotly, moaning into your mouth. Your leg dropped from his shoulder as you wrapped your legs around him, pulling him closer as you kissed him intently, enjoying the pleasure coursing through your veins.

After a few moments, he relentlessly pulled out, rolling beside you on his back, still breathing heavy. Panting, warm, and sated, you let out a little sigh of contentment before wiggling back against his side, pulling the blanket up and over you.

He looked over at you with a chuckle as you tucked yourself into the little cocoon, wiggling your ass against him and yawned, hair sprawled on his pillow. He’d been right. You wanted him just as much as he wanted you. 

++++++ 

Sunlight fell over your face in the morning, and you felt sick to your stomach. Last night really  _ had _ happened. You glanced under the covers and yep, both of you were still naked as the day you were born. You tried not to move, tried to not stir Tyson, but it was too late. His grip on your waist tightened and he pulled you closer into him, breath warm on your shoulder as he sleepily clung to you. “Morning, beautiful,” he offered lazily into your skin, tugging you tighter as he held you to him. 

What was  _ that? _ This wasn’t your normal. The thud from last night ran through your body; you felt the ache between your thighs, welcome, and the realization of everything hit you. That really happened, and now you really were naked against Tyson. He really  _ was _ hard against your ass, and you really  _ were _ welcome to the idea of a morning romp. But you knew better than to even think about it now. 

Tyson apparently wasn’t above being close though, as he pulled you closer and kissed on your neck. “Morning babe, sleep well?” 

You didn’t know if he was awake or not, this was not your normal morning greeting. Anytime you had ever spent the night with Tyson, you both were in your sweats and you woke up hugging the extra pillow he always gave you. Before you could even respond, though, he was babbling on. 

“I’m so warm and comfy,” he sighed softly, throwing a leg over your hips as he sighed and kissed your cheek again, “I love you.” 

Those words hit, and your stomach dropped, and you felt sick. He wasn’t really awake. No way. He wouldn’t play with your emotions like that. You felt yourself stiffen in his arms, not moving at all, barely breathing. You waited for him to fall back asleep before slowly and carefully sliding out of his bed and out of the house. You weren’t going to put yourself through that. This had been a horrible idea. 

###### 

Two weeks had passed since your night with Tyson. Two weeks of home games that you hadn’t attended. Two weeks of not having nights out or in with Tyson. Two weeks of dodging Tyson’s texts, calls, and FaceTimes. Ten days of dodging Nate, Gabe, and EJ’s texts. Two days of dodging Mel’s texts. One day of dodging Mel’s phone calls. 

You couldn’t seem to get away from Tyson, though. He was all over as were his friends. That was kind of an issue today. You’d gotten to work and were at your station when Letty alerted that your first customer was here for the day. You told her you were ready and went to get your client, only to sigh when you saw no one other than Jamie Benn. 

“Hey, Jamie, long time no see,” he offered with a smile, walking back to the shampoo bowl with you. 

“I was pumped you had an opening this morning. Nobody in Dallas gives half as good of a haircut or massage as you,” he grinned big and gazed up with those cow-like eyes. 

“I’m sure I could find you a referral,” you offered with a smile before you turned on the water to drown out the sounds of his voice. 

You were working your way through the peppermint scalp scrub when you realized he was just enjoying the massage in silence. Fair enough, maybe this wasn’t going to be too horrible, then. After his massage and conditioner, you led him to your chair and situated him for his cut, listening about his season, Tyler’s dogs, and their flight to Denver for tomorrow’s game. It wasn’t until he was at the front counter and offering you a hug that he even mentioned Tyson. He bent to hug you and pressed a kiss to your cheek before whispering in your ear, “He’s really fucked up over this, Jamie. At least tell him you’re done so he can move on.” 

With that, he pulled back and smiled, “Thanks again. Hopefully, I’ll see you around.” A wave and a wink and he was out the door, leaving you with a heavy sigh. 

He was probably right. You should at least tell Tyson you couldn’t be around him anymore. 

++++++ 

If Jamie had done anything, it was reassure you that you needed to tell Tyson this was over. It wasn’t fair to him to be left in the cold like this. Besides, you actually had a ticket to tonight’s game vs the Stars and you didn’t want to be rude and let it go to waste. But you also didn’t want to look selfish and just show up for this game, either. But it was a Better Halves event and you had been booked in as Tyson’s better half for this dang event. And that’s when it hit you. You hadn’t decorated his tree. That you needed to get there this afternoon. Holy crap. 

You checked your emails and noticed one from the event coordinator from today and started to panic just a little bit. With a feverish response, you confirmed you would have it there in time and told Letty to reschedule the rest of your day, that you had an emergency. While you may not have been on the best of terms with Tyson right now, you couldn’t let the rest of the team or the girls down. Plus, you couldn’t let Tyson have the sad tree like his first year. You wouldn’t do that. You needed a theme, and fast. Tyson’s Favorite Things. It was lame, you knew that, but you were going with it. 

A few hours and a few hundred dollars later, you had Tyson’s tree wrapped in some gaudy gingerbread man ribbon with red and gold bulbs. Nestled in the branches were some cute ornaments of candy and cookies with gift cards scattered throughout for a few of Tys’ favorite restaurants, 7-11, because Slurpees, and to his favorite spa. You added a few bottles of his favorite wine, a six-pack of his favorite beer, and the signed items he’d given you a few weeks ago for the tree. With all of it put together you wrapped it in a bag to keep it safe for travel and went to get yourself ready for the game. 

Dressed in your favorite leggings, booties, and Tyson’s jersey, you made your way downtown, annoyed with yourself for this whole situation. You shouldn’t have put yourself into this situation, but you weren’t that shitty friend who was going to leave Tyson hanging. Never. You arrived with a few minutes to spare, got into the family parking lot and were getting out your tree when Mel slid up beside you. 

“Girl, is your phone broken?” She asked with a pointed glance. 

And that, that was why you hadn’t wanted to come. You were going to have to face Mrs. Captain, and she was just as ruthless as Gabe was. 

“What? No…” you played dumb with her. 

“Oh, so you  _ have _ been getting all of our calls and texts… you’re just avoiding us. Good to know, Jamie, good to know.” She gave you a sigh. 

“Listen, Mel, before we start this, just, I don’t want to talk about it,” you added. 

“Kay. Well, that’s fine and I won’t push you on this, but that’s just me, so keep that in mind,” she gave you a soft sigh. “Besides, you can get the wrath after the game tonight.” 

Your eyes widened in shock, “What?” 

“Well, if you would have been reading your messages or answering the phone, you would have known tonight is dinner with everybody and I RSVPd you as a yes and ordered you chicken versus beef.” She had her own tree and was following you along as you two carried the trees. 

“Mel, I’m not going,” you shook your head. 

“Yes. You are. I RSVPd for you . .. and ordered your chicken. You’re going,” she gave you a look and it was apparent that was final. She and Gabe were a nightmare together, you would give them that. 

With a sigh, you got into the doors and were greeted with hellos from everybody who swore they hadn’t seen you in forever. You smiled and gave your greeting before heading down the hall to the elevator to the upper concourse to deliver your trees. Mel stood quietly, her own tree beautiful. 

“Mel, you’ve outdone yourself,” you admired the beautiful crystal bulbs and navy blue ribbons. There were little ornaments of the same beautiful color that she had obviously spent time ordering or making. There was an attached basket with a blanket, some candles, chocolate, and a few gift cards. 

“Thanks, girl. Yours screams Tyson… “ she grinned and pointed towards the tree. 

“Yea, I tried,” you laughed quietly and got off the elevator with her. 

As you made your way towards the tables, you were frustrated to see most of the guys milling around in their suits to see their trees before they went downstairs to get dressed. Of course. Your stomach did a flip as you saw a familiar brunette with the curls between Nate and Colin, with what appeared a grimace on his face. He didn’t want to be up here either, that was obvious. You didn’t miss the glance that Mel and Gabe shared before they both glanced at Tyson and Nate, nodding at your direction as you settled Tyson’s tree behind the 4 placard. 

With a few minor adjustments and a few tweaks, you added the topper (an Elf Tyson you’d ordered when things were good) and put it on top with a smirk. Standing back, you took a picture of your masterpiece, because well, you were proud. Emily came around and was asking for the Halves to take a photo, and you found yourself not wanting to be in it. She gave you a sigh, “Jamie, please? The tree, it’s perfect, you at least have to pose with Tyson and the tree?” 

Grudgingly, you agreed and took the photo with your tree, and put on your best smile when Tyson also came over with a grimace. He took in his tree, a soft smile falling over his face. 

“All my favorites,” he said with a sad smile. 

“Of course,” you nodded. 

Emily coughed for you two to pose, and both of you turned and stood with the tree, awkward gone as you took the photo. Mel and Gabe stood with smirks watching you, while Nate scowled in your general direction. 

After the photo, you moved quickly and went to busying yourself with tidying the tree. Tyson took that time to lean down and look at the Slurpee ornament. 

“I’m sorry…” he said softly. 

“Not now, Tys. You need to get ready for the game. It’s fine. We’ll do this later. I apparently am coming to dinner, so. After that,” you sighed softly. 

He nodded, “Okay. After dinner, then. Thank you for the tree, it’s perfect.” He reached out to rub your hand gently, before sliding back with the guys to go downstairs. 

Mel quickly replaced Tyson beside you, and spoke softly, “Jamie, you have to know he’s upset about this…” 

“Yeah… well, same,” you sighed and gave her a shrug before moving back towards the elevators with the rest of the girls to go to the family suite for the night. You could get through this. You had to. 

++++++ 

Fortunately, you made it through the game, Tyson’s tree went for $1010, and you considered this afternoon a success. All you had to do now was make it through dinner. That was the beauty of afternoon games, though: you had time for the rest of the day to be free. Or well, you did when Mel hadn’t made your life hell by subscribing you to team events. Mel had passed on the message that Tyson would pick you up at 6:30 for dinner and you would head out from there. Of course, you weren’t looking forward to that, but she gave you that look again, and you knew there was no risking it with her. You had to do what she was ordering or Gabe would get involved and then EJ and then Nate, and you didn’t need that. Not today. 

So, you sat waiting for Tyson, having changed into a cute dress with boots and a scarf to boot. Tyson knocked, which was odd, considering he usually just let himself in. You went to the door and smiled small, trying to get your composure. 

“Hey, so… ready?” Tyson asked softly. 

“Yea, lemme grab my jacket,” you spoke softly and walked to get your coat, noting he just stood at the door awkwardly. 

This was going to be awful. You could feel it. Armed with your coat and bag, you locked the door behind you and headed out with Tyson. He walked beside you quietly and held open your door while you got in the car and put on your belt. 

He moved around quietly and got in, putting his own seatbelt on as well. 

“Thanks again for the tree, Jamie,” he spoke softly. 

“Oh, no problem. I told you I would,” you nodded. 

He returned the nod and focused on driving. The awkward tension was thick for the first time. It was worse than the first time you had met him. You couldn’t believe that was even possible, but here you were. 

The short drive felt like forever before you pulled into the parking lot and Tyson was opening your door. You grabbed your bag and followed along with him as he walked inside. You put on your best fake smile and followed Tyson along to the maitre d’ who shook his head and led you and Tyson to a table for two. 

Your eyebrow lifted as you looked at Tyson. He too looked confused, but took the envelope from the maitre d’ and opened it, sitting down at the table while you did the same, unsure as to what was going on. 

“Figure this shit out. Dinner is on us. We’ll see you at 8:30 at our house for drinks and fun. -Gabe and Mel” 

Tyson scoffed and handed you the card, which you quickly read, face reddening in frustration. “Of course.” 

Tyson nodded, “We shouldn’t be surprised.” 

“But I can be annoyed,” you quipped. 

“And we can have fun and  _ really _ charge up a good bill… I’m feeling like lobsters and oysters and the  _ best _ wine. You?” 

“Oh, definitely, probably every dessert, too,” you added. 

“Oh most definitely… and probably a few hors d'oeuvres,” Tyson added. 

When the server came, you both had a laundry list of things to try and several drinks to sample. The server just chuckled and nodded before leaving to get drinks. 

Tyson sighed and looked at you, “So… talk or eat first?” 

“Talk… I suppose.”

He nodded, “So…did I do something wrong?” 

You scoffed, “You don’t remember, do you?” 

“Remember? I remember having the best night of my life and waking up to you gone… I think that’s not something I’ll ever be able to forget,” he sighed. 

“You don’t…” you sighed. Neither of you were going to forget, but it was two totally different things. 

“Well, help me, then,” he said with a sigh. 

“I don’t think I can,” you softly said. “We’re in two totally different places.” 

“Try me,” he gave you a pointed look. 

“Well,” you paused for the waiter to put down drinks before continuing. “We had a great night, and I woke up… and you said some stuff.” 

“I said some stuff?” He asked with a raised brow. “Like what?” 

“You said you were warm and comfy and stuff…” You didn’t want to say it. 

“Okay, and?” He looked confused. 

“You said you loved me,” you spoke softly, taking a drink as quickly as you said it. 

Tyson’s eyes widened in shock before he tried to right his face, taking a drink from his wine glass. “Well.. . I mean, it’s true.” He turned a rosy color and took another drink. 

“Right, like friends, you’ve always said you love me,” you said with a sigh. 

Tyson’s eyes widened again, brow furrowing, voice hurried, “No, you always assume it’s like a friend. I  _ do _ love you. I have for a while. But if I remember right, you wanted to find someone for sex that night, and I was like, hello here I am… I want to date you and I’m totally in love with you.” 

“What?” You gasped softly. 

“Yeah… I love you. Like, in love with you love you… wanna date you love you,” he said with his eyes down before he glanced up in your direction. 

“Tyson, don’t play with me this way,” you spoke softly. 

He shook his head and reached over for your hand, rubbing gently, “I am one hundred percent, head over heels, his and hers towels, let’s grow old together, L-O-V-E, in love with you.” 

You felt your cheeks flush, eyes shutting as you took a deep breath, “Did you just quote “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”?” 

He rolled his eyes, “Yes, but I’m serious. Babe, I love you. It’s always been you.” 

His hand tightened on yours and you felt your cheeks flush even more as he reached up and rubbed your cheek with his thumb. “We can even grow a love fern, baby. I love you. I want you.” 

“Tyson…” you spoke softly. 

“Yeah, babe?” He asked with a tip of his head. 

“I love you,” you spoke softly. 

He grinned and rubbed your hand, “Yeah?” 

“Yeah…” you nodded with a smile. 

Tys was up and moved over in front of you, leaning down to press a hot kiss to your mouth, hand resting on your cheek. You returned his affection, humming into his lips. It felt like home. 

++++++ 

You got to the Landeskog’s house around 8:53, late of course, but not caring. You’d gotten sidetracked kissing Tyson in the car while in the parking lot of the restaurant. You were pretty sure that Gabe and Mel didn’t mind, though. 

As you and Tyson walked hand-in-hand to the front door, he let you guys in and led you into the kitchen where all of the team was gathered around, eating finger foods. The room went silent when you two walked in though, all eyes on the two of you. 

“Hi?” Tyson said with a chuckle. 

“They’re holding hands,” Mel commented. 

Gabe looked at you then Tyson, “Tyson has lipstick on his mouth.” 

Shit, you’d thought you’d gotten it all off his poor face. Tys quickly reached up and wiped at his mouth, confirming even if there hadn’t been. 

Nate sighed a sigh of relief, “Finally.” 

EJ slid up between you two and put an arm around each of you, “Finally. Hey, you two are under the mistletoe!” He held up a sprig of mistletoe over the both of you, and you rolled your eyes, but looked at Tyson with a shrug. He smirked and leaned into you, putting a hot kiss to your lips, the rest of the team hooting and hollering, complete with Gabe shooting off a confetti popper (much to Mel’s annoyance), and proclaiming Lobsters. 

“Finally! He’s her Lobster!” He cheered in excitement, like the child he was, while Mel just rolled her eyes and got you two a drink. “How was dinner?!” 

“It was good,” Tyson said with a smirk when he pulled away from your lips. “We brought you a receipt.” He reached into his pocket and took the receipt out and handed it to Gabe. 

Gabe took it, and his eyes went wide as he looked at the total, before he showed it to Erik, who busted out laughing, “I told you, Landy. That’s 100 for being stupid.” 

“Tyson,” he unfolded the receipt twice, and his eyes kept widening. “You ordered SIX desserts?” 

“That was Jamie… I ordered the  _ lobster _ , oysters, and caviar plates… “ Tyson said with a smirk and a kiss to your cheek. 

“Eight hundred dollars, Tyson? Eight  _ hundred _ dollars?!” Gabe was all but shrieking. 

Mel busted out laughing, head thrown back as she pat Gabe on the stomach and led you away from Tyson. 

“Well, we were hungry? And… we’re Lobsters!” Tyson said with a grin as he took his beer and plopped down by Nate, Gabe still howling about the bill. It was all back to normal. 

######

The rest of the season flew by. Things with Tyson were absolutely perfect. Never in a million years had you imagined that things were going to be this amazing. It was back to how life had been before your falling out, with the added bonus of great sex. Tyson was the best boyfriend you’d ever had, and you didn’t know how you’d ever managed before him. 

The playoff rush had been an absolute blast, and you’d been so brokenhearted at the end of the season, along with the rest of the family and players. Tyson had recovered, though, and you were really looking forward to next season and the journey to the Cup. You guys had both decided to move in together and had found the perfect house. Sure, his contract was in the talks, and there hadn’t been any offers yet, but he was assured that things were great and he was going to be staying in Denver. So, the house had been closed on, and you were happily living together in the perfect home for your little family of three. You’d gotten a dog, because Tyson felt like you needed someone to spend time with while he was on road trips, and you had totally agreed with him. It was rough being away from him, especially now since you shared a home. You could only imagine what life was going to be like. 

For Canada Day, you had taken a vacation and were spending time with his family and him, celebrating like the fools you were. You had gotten situated for brunch when the notification came across on your phone, and Tyson’s phone rang with the name  _ Joe Sakic _ across the screen. 

Time stood still in that moment, as your entire relationship flashed across your mind while Tyson talked to Joe. Victoria rubbed Tyson’s back while you sat silently at the table, eyes widening as you realized what this meant. One thousand. Five Hundred. Eight. Point Two. That’s how many miles it was from Toronto to Denver. Two thousand. Four Hundred. Fifty-Six. That’s how many Kilometers it was from Toronto to Denver. 

Your heart was pounding in your ears as Tyson glanced over towards you with that look on his face. He was heartbroken, you could see it. The two of you had just bought your home. Gotten a dog, and were establishing your lives together. It was all gone, in the blink of an eye. He tried to put on a smile, as Biz videoed him, and Victoria rubbed his back. 

But he was hurting.  _ Broken _ . And so were you. 

++++++

After getting back to the house that night, Tyson had been quiet as you got ready for bed. Neither of you had a lot to say, but you put on your pajamas and crawled into bed. You looked over at Tyson as he put his watch on the dresser before he crawled into bed beside you. You reached out and pulled him close, nuzzling into him. He rubbed your cheek with his chin. In a soft voice, he spoke, “Come with me?” 

“I…” You couldn’t answer right away. “I need time, Tys…”

He sighed, and nodded, “Okay.” He may have held you a little tighter that night, and he may have cried a little, but you weren’t going to say a word. 

Except, “I love you, Tyson.” 

* * *

That’s how you wound up where you were today. In your shared kitchen, your doggo licking your ankle with a sweet, furry face, and Tyson watching you intently, as if he wasn’t prepared to hear your answer. 

You’d given a lot of thought to this answer, and while it should have seemed simple, there was so much more to this choice than just packing a few boxes and going. It was Toronto. It wasn’t just Arizona or Vegas, a short enough flight home. It was  _ Toronto _ . Maybe it shouldn’t have mattered as much as it did, but there was something in your mind about going to Canada with Tyson that had you realizing just how much of a change this life would be. You would have to learn a lot of new systems and such, and you were prepared for that, but it was the fact that you were going to have to try and fit in with the WAGs again that had you stressed, and the fact that you were going to have to adjust to being without Tyson in a new city, a city you’d never visited before, that had your mind reeling. 

You knew, though, Tyson was your forever, he was your  _ lobster. _ At least, that’s what Gabe thought, and dammit, when was Gabe wrong? He wasn’t. 

With a deep breath, you glanced back up at Tyson and nodded finally. “Yes.” 

Tyson looked up quickly, eyes widening almost in shock as he glanced over your face. 

“Really?” He asked in a high pitched voice. 

“Really. Let’s find our new home.” 

Tyson grinned and moved around the counter, bending down to kiss you with more happiness than you’d felt in a long time. 

“You don’t know how much I love you, babe.” 

“Yeah, I do. You’re my lobster, ” you gave him a wink. 

Tyson just chuckled with a nod, “My lobster.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Also, I put too much thought into Halloween and several of us decided the rest of the fellas were costumed as follows: Ocean Spray - Josty in Waders and a hat, JT as a cranberry. King Triton & Mermaid - Z and Aleksandra. Loofah & Old Spice Guy - Gravy & Barbs, respectively. Kale with a K, Cale with a C - Wilson & Calvert. Dental Floss - Sam, Toothbrush - EJ.


End file.
